David Crandall thinks his father murdered his mother in this taut but rather trite boarding-school thriller. David is the scion of a famous family that has always dominated his excessively tough military school, at which his possibly criminal father serves as headmaster. An excellent shot, David dreams of winning the school’s black-powder rifle-shooting contest. While simultaneously rebelling against Dad and investigating Mom’s murder, David embroils himself and his friends in deep danger. Standard-issue characters include the love interest, Misty, a gorgeous girl shooter even better than David; Leo, his trailer-trash best friend; and the customary evil rich guy. Plenty of action leads to some indecisive results, as when David believes Leo has been killed but does nothing about it. Sorrells doesn’t even solve the central mystery, leaving Mom’s murder to speculation. Still, he packs in plenty of action for a fun read. Exciting but ultimately unsatisfying. (Fiction. YA)
